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Donald Trump's presidential transition team was blindsided by reports that Fox News host Pete Hegseth had been accused of sexual misconduct — and is now reportedly considering their options over his nomination to head the Pentagon.

Trump nominated Hegseth for secretary of defense this week, but The Washington Post reported that the team is now "weighing the future" of the nomination.

Donald Trump's pick of conspiracy theorist and former environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services has triggered widespread backlash from public health experts, given his longstanding opposition to childhood vaccines and water fluoridation, and promotion of antisemitic theories about COVID-19 infection patterns.

But Fox News host Jesse Watters is thrilled about the prospect, telling co-panelists on "The Five" that Kennedy will figure out how to wipe out obesity and make average Americans attractive again.

President-elect Donald Trump’s surprising pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services could have long-lasting consequences for the health and survival of the American public, according to a Washington Post health columnist.

Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and contributing columnist for the Post, revealed Friday the main reason she opposes the selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS secretary, of which she said there are many.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the notorious conspiracy theorist tapped by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is not telling the truth about his involvement in a measles outbreak in Samoa, CNN health correspondent Meg Tirrell told anchor Jake Tapper on Friday.

"Renewed reports are emerging about Kennedy's alleged role in a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa, and it affected thousands and killed many people, including children," said Tapper. "He tried to deny any responsibility or involvement in the tragedy."

Political analyst John Heilemann confessed Friday afternoon that he's concerned about Pete Hegseth's appointment to run the Department of Defense.

Speaking to MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace on Friday, Heilemann pointed out that the department is one of the largest federal agencies, with 2.8 million employees worldwide and the largest workforce in the United States.

House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) faced tough questions Friday on CNN about sick kids in his state that left him struggling to defend President-elect Donald Trump.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked Emmer about Trump's selection of vaccine-denier Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services — and put it in the context of a measles outbreak in his home state of Minnesota.

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Pete Hegseth, a former U.S. Army major and host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," to lead the Department of Defense.

His tattoos have come under scrutiny in recent days, including one of a Jerusalem Cross, which he said is nothing more than a religious symbol — even if other extremists have adopted it.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has set off a new rift within the Republican caucus with his latest move to protect former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), now Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, from public scrutiny.

The House Ethics Committee was set to vote Friday on whether to release the results of a lengthy investigation into Gaetz, who has been accused of underage sex trafficking, illicit drug use, campaign finance violations, and other misdeeds. The vote was canceled at the last minute and Johnson told the caucus he didn't support releasing the report because Gaetz resigned earlier this week and is no longer a member of Congress subject to the committee's jurisdiction.

A government watchdog group said Friday that President-elect Donald Trump has effectively signaled that the incoming administration is open for business by choosing longtime Republican strategist Susie Wiles—a former lobbyist for the tobacco industry and other sordid interests—as his White House chief of staff.

In a new report, Public Citizen shows that Wiles represented at least 42 clients as a registered federal government lobbyist between 2017 and 2024—corporate influence-peddling that continued even while she helped run Trump's 2024 presidential bid.

President-elect Donald Trump has already shot his second administration in the foot — specifically in its authoritarian Achilles heel, a political columnist contends.

Salon writer Amanda Marcotte argued Friday that Trump's decision to demand that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) become his Attorney General was an attempt to strongarm Republican allies he'll need as president — and whose patience has already begun to run thin.

A Democratic Senate candidate in Arizona was hit and killed Friday by a driver suspected to be impaired, according to news reports.

Senate candidate John McLean, who ran as the Democratic challenger to represent the Tucson-area District 17 seat, was driving a Toyota Rav4 around 6 a.m. Friday when he was struck by a Ford Explorer, The Arizona Daily Star reported.

Former Obama administration adviser Van Jones and GOP strategist Shermichael Singleton went head-to-head on CNN Friday over reports that Donald Trump is considering ousting Christopher Wray as chief of the FBI — a position Trump put him in in the first place — and installing Kash Patel, a hardcore partisan loyalist who has called for the arrests of journalists.

"Where are America's patriots?" said Jones. "You are now talking about people who are completely incompetent, who most Americans, who business owners would not hire to run a taco stand, being put in charge of the FBI ... this is a joke.